Reviews by kickapoodude:

This beer lacks focus. It is malty and rich like a nice bock, but it also has spicey characteristics (orange, corriander, all spice). Does it's alc. amount really make it a winter warmer? It is better when it's warmer. It is a good beer, but I don't drink it where I work...and it's on tap.

More User Reviews:

Overall I thought Saint Benedicts Winter Ale was a decent beer. Had it for the first time at my girlfriends cabin in northern Wisconsin back in late December of 2012. The appearance of the beer was good, and the flavor was ok. I thought it was kind of a strong beer at times with the full flavor coming out at times. Would probably buy it again in the winter months.

This Abbey-style Winter Warmer poured vigorously into the glass forms a thick, cream-colored head that leaves a web-like trail of lacing on the glass. Deep reddish-brown color shows clarity. The aroma is of fresh plums, faint burnt sugar, with a quick whiff of medicinal phenols and a slight spiciness from the hops and alcohol. Beautiful smoothness reaches all corners of the palate with a quick snap of crispness. Solid medium body. All flavors seem to want to smack the taste buds all at once: mellow yet lingering fruitiness of plums and pears, toasted malt and mild burnt sugar sweetness, mild herbal hop bitterness, subtle phenols from the yeast and quick peppery warmth from the alcohol. Finishes a bit dry with some lingering fruitiness and toasted bread flavors.

Very well balanced and pretty damn drinkable, yet big enough to be thrown at just about any holiday dinner. With each sip, and as it gets closer to cellar temperature, it grows on us. A sure pick here for your winter seasonal needs.

Enjoying in the cold
Pours dark, slightly amber in color with a tan head. The smell is nutty and of red wine, and it tastes of fruit, spice, and licorice, but more so of malt (roasted). Carbonation is mild to moderate with and the overall feel is light. Complex flavors yet very drinkable

12oz bottle, no date. Pours transparent dark amber with a medium sized tan-ish head. Smells of medium roasted malt, hops, cocoa, and some light spice. The taste follows exactly with more hops and spice; very straightforward. Some light and lingering bitterness. Below average smell and flavor intensity. Somewhat thin body and higher carbonation. Overall, it doesn't fit the style well and doesn't have enough intensity or complexity.

Pours a bright ruby tinted copper color with a bright off white cream head forming thick and leaves behind fine lacing. Aroma has hints of christmas spice, cinnamon, allspice, and some citrus ginger. The back end there are some smokey ash tray notes. Nice underlying fruity character going on, brings out some caramel as well. Flavor wise some unrefined malt sweetness, extra juicy with plums/raisin/hints of citrus fruit in the back end. A bit of caramel/yeast spiciness not as upfront with the christmas spices in the flavors as the nose but still evident. A bit cloying unrefined/unfermented malts weigh heavy with each sip. Unnatural carbonation leaves a rough backend to each sip, something I wouldn't drink on the regular. Drinkability is rough, it shows promise from Point brewery to do something a little outside the norm from a regional brewery that big.

The label and name (“St. Benedict’s”) both suggest a fine abbey brew, but calling this a ‘winter ale’ suggests it could be almost any style ale.

A – The body is a clear. deep, orange-amber; light carbonation is visible. The thin, off-white head quickly reduces to a nice ring with a few thin patches, but remains capable of coating the glass anew with each sip.

S – Needs to warm a good bit to really bring out the aromas. The spicy aroma is more like that expected from a Belgian winter brew (e.g., Delirium Noel) than from an American winter ale, although there is a definite presence of such typical “winter spices” as nutmeg. Fruity with a hint of cognac.

T – Largely follows the aroma, but much closer to a Belgian dubbel or winter ale than expected, with the touches of cloves, dried plums, raisins and bananas. If presented as such, I’d have no trouble believing this was an actual Belgian abbey beer. The finish is clean, rich, and nicely balanced, leaving a fine and long-lasting aftertaste that features both dark malts and spices. The spices form a well-chosen and balanced mix, and blend very nicely with the malts and minimal hops; although the aftertaste is eventually dominated by clove, nutmeg and other spices.

Feel: Near medium body with soft carbonation.

Overall: One of the best American ‘European Strong Ale I’ve had. (I know, BA follows the label and calls this a “winter ale”). Whatever you want to call it, this is a superb, tasty, well-balanced, and easy-to-drink beer.

This beer is a pure, clear red orange. Big bubbles cling to the side of the glass. The head grows to about one finger, maybe just a little higher, but is too loose and drops somewhat quickly. The island of foam is made of big bubbles and likewise dissipates. There is a bit left, patchy bits that stay on top of the beer. Some spotty lacing manages to cling to the glass.
Banana and clove in the nose; that's a good sign. It disappears for a little bit and then sneaks back as it warms. Weird. Was my fridge too cold? Doesn't seem that way. Anyway, a bit of toasted malt and some dark fruits make it standard stuff but pretty good, and well-made to style.
The strength comes out in the flavor, and the strong but unoffensive and soft warmth from the alcohol makes for a pleasant experience. Dark fruits seem to mix with soft white flesh fruit flavors, both banana and pear. There's very little bitterness, which is expected, and it's of a mildly herbal quality and balances well.
The feel is on the lighter side of medium with a snappy crispness and is fairly smooth, though it might be a touch too active.

Like many others, wondering where the spice & flavor is in this beer to make it a winter ale. There is the slightest bit on the nose, and in the finish, though other than that this remains a dryly sweet brown. Not anything special, but not terrible either. Sometimes you need an average beer, right?

Smell: Cherries, almonds, and an herbal dryness. What I look for in a dubbel.

Taste: A rather dry dubbel, usually a quality I don't like, but it works with this beer. A touch of fruitiness up front, but the flavor is heavy in the finish with a touch of coffee-like roast and dry, herbal finish. A cherry-stone flavor is present throughout and adds a touch of tart fruit and nuttiness.

Not outstanding, but as I drank I began to taste the complexity of this beer.

M - Medium bodied, nutty, and a bit boozy. The noticeable alcohol could be perceived as a flaw, but I think it adds to the nutty flavor... cashews and scotch go quite well together, after all.

D - This is a nice winter ale from a brewer that I usually don't hold in high esteem. Nutty and bready, this is a nice winter brew that doesn't do the whole played out "fruitcake and spice" thing. Drinkable on a feast-type evening, but a bit much for a normal session. Good stuff!

St. Benedict's appears a bit viscous as I pour it into my glass. We'll see if that's really the case. It brought up a thick head of frothy tan foam which settles in a minute or so. Spots of lace are left about the glass. It's a slightly hazy crimson-tinted copper with glowing orange highlights. The aroma is interesting. I find it fruity and somewhat spicy. I'm thinking dark fruits like plum and raisin, maybe cassis. There's some darkly caramelish malt and cooked brown sugar beneath that. As I drink it, however, the lacing diminishes. Oh well, to the lips we go... fruit and malt combine at the front, and as it warms I find banana and clove. There's not a lot, but it's there. Across the middle it dries and a spice component appears. It rises in the finish, but notes of malt and then fruit are still there, leaving it fairly interesting and complex. Wow, it really is a bit viscous. It's medium-full in body and quite creamy as the carbonation is released. Back to the flavor, I really like the combination of fruit and malt at the outset. It's well combined, and the specific fruitiness that I found in the nose isn't there, it's more generic. Wether that's a good thing or a bad thing I don't know, we're not comparing it to any particular style or other beer. Hedonistically, I like it. And I also like the way the spiciness gently builds across the palate until it becomes most apparent in the dry finish. And not unlike the fruitiness, the spicing isn't quite clear either. I could guess at what's there, but it's not readily apparent and in your face. Perhaps it's just a pinch of cinnamon? Perhaps it's just clove and phenolic from the yeast? Personally I find that a good thing, it leaves you guessing. I think they've done a nice job of blending to get a nice mix that works, and they've kept it restrained enough that the spicing doesn't build on the palate, ruining the beer for you half way through. Sure, the first couple of sips of a really spicy beer can be great, but then you lose interest as it builds on your palate and blocks out the other flavors. This one is balanced enough that it remains focused and drinkable. Based on that I have to give it some really good marks for drinkability; and since I don't find any faults here, I'd have to say it's an excellent winter warmer. Nicely done!

S: not bad, tons of malt, think there are 3 or 4 types in there, some 2 row roasted chocolate, not very spicy to me, for this style, getting mostly malt smell and not much else

T: Pretty decent tasting brew, not hoppy at all, you get a pretty overpowering malty presence, some chocolate notes in there...I think this is brewed with Belgian type yeast, so there is a little fruitiness in there, pretty complex

M: Not the greatest overall, at least for me, not enough body or balance with hops that you can access easily

D: I could drink a few of these pretty easily, probably would grow on me after a bit, perhaps warming to 50-55 degrees may bring out some other flavors, other than the heavy roasted malts

Not that familiar with the beers from this brewery, but not a bad effort at all!